Handlamp switch



June 17 1924.

A. L.,sTAPL.-Es

HANDLAMP SWITCH Filed Feb. 21 1921 Patented .lune l?, 1924.

i U if l'l ARTHUR L. STAPLES, or NEW HAVEN,

EEPEATING ARMS COMPANY, or NEW CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOE To w'rNcrrEsrrEn HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

HANDLAMP SWITCH.

Application filed February To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. STAPLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in v I-Iandlamp Switches; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descripf tion of the invention, such as will lenable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsA to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to portable electric lamps comprising a casing, a battery and an incandescent lamp mounted therein, and a contact device on the casing by which the flow of current from the battery through the lamp may be controlled atl will.

In a portable lamp 4of this character,l it is `desirable that the user shall be able to fiash the lamp, that is, light itv for short periods of time, as in signaling, or for such length of time as it is convenient 'for the operator to hold his thumb on the contact device. It is also desirable that means be provided for closing the switch 'to light the "lamp for a longer .period of time and without the need for continuous thumb pressure on the con- `tact mechanism.

" It is an Vobject of the presentinventionto provide a handslamp with a contact mechavnism so arranged that the ,lamp can be iiashed or can be permanently lighted, as desired, but lwith the additional feature that the .contact mechanism cannot be locked in closed-,circuit position through accidental pressure on the contact device. This permits the hand-lamp to be carried about with tools or. in the pocket of an automobile door without the danger that when the lamp is needed its battery will be found exhausted because, through accident, the switch has been closed andy thelamp has been lighted ywithout the knowledge of the user.

i, Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, which is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig.V 1 is a view in side elevation of a I hand-lamp, embodying kmy invention andl having a portion of the casing'broken away. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof..

Fig. 3 is an enlarged brokeny internal view of a portion of one of the end walls show-v V-ing the 'inner side of the circuit closing de- ,55 viceon the line 3*-3 of Fig. 1.

21', i921. serial No. 446,736.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken View in vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the circuit closing device in its open circuit position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view in closedv circuit position.

Fig. 6.is a similar view in transverse section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 of an alternative form of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a view thereof corresponding to Fig. 3. y Fig. 9 is a view thereof corresponding to Fig. 6 on the'line 9 9 ofFig. 7. v

In carrying out my invention as herein shown I employ a sheet metal casing'lO of f substantially parallelopipedal shape except that two opposed sides Aare approximately semi-cylindrical. In one of these sides', near 'the upper end thereof, I form a perforation -11 which is surrounded'by a slightly raised rim 12 formed from 'the metal of the case and vlying in av plane.V In this perforation, and flush with the edge of it, is a Hat. pushbutton13 formed about in the middle fof a sheet metal spring-contact 14 which lies 4Vsnugly against and conforms to the inner Y side of the casebelow the pushbutton and is rigidly attached to the case'by 'a rivet 15. Above the push-button, the Springcontact 14`is bent inwardly away from the 'case for a short distance as at 16 at an angle of about 45, then upwardly again as at 17 and finally inwardly again at an angle of about 45 as at Y18. The portion 17 of the spring-contact has a transverse slot 19 for the receptionof an inwardly turned lug 2O formed on a slide 21 which lies against the inner surfacey of the case and is held in place by a double pair of inturned lugs 22 formed on the edges of the longitudinal walls of ahollowl slidable sheet metal thumb-piece 23 located on vthe outer surface of the case 10 liust above the rim 12. `The said vside walls of the thumb-piece extend through a pair of parallel vertical slots 24 in the case 10. In the open circuit or normal position of the parts, the slidev 21 is held against movementl by the 'engagement ofthe walls of the slot 19 with the lug. 20. i In all 'other respects 'the casingis of ordinary construction. .The'bottom is hinged to admit a battery 25 contained in the usual insulating wrapper and having theg'cus- `ternary sheet inetalspring contacts .26 and 27 the latter being positioned alongside of but not in contact with the upper end 18 of the spring contact 14 when the latter is in its normal position.

The other contact 26 of the battery presses against the inner terminal of an electric bulb 28, of ordinary construction, which is mounted by means of its outer threaded terminal in the threaded lower end of a funnel shaped bulb-housing 29 formed in the top surface of the case 10. Thus there is an electrically complete circuit from the spring-contact end 18 successively through the spring-contact 14, the rivet 15, the case 10, the bulb 28, the spring-contact 26, the battery 25 and the spring-contact 27. This circuit is closed except for the small gap between the battery spring-contact 27 and the spring-contact end 18. Pressure on the push-button will force the spring-contact end 18 inward into engagement with the contact 27 closing the circuit and lighting the lamp, until the pressure is released and the spring-contact 14 returns to its Anormal position breaking the circuit between the contacts 27 and 18.

When the push-button is pushedin, the lug 2O of the slide 21 is released from the slot 19 .and is then free to move. 1f the thumbspiece 23 be then pushed upwardly as in Fig. 5 the lug 2O will move out over the spring-contact 17 and prevent the same from springing back and breaking the circuit until the thumb-piece is pushed down again to the position shown in Fig. f1 when the lug 20 snaps into the slot 19 and the circuit is broken.

In the alternative form shown in Figs. 7 8 and 9 the slide 30 is a vertically arranged roughly rectangular piece of sheet metal having at either end a transverse slot 31 to receive the wall of the casing 10 at the inner ends of a pair of slots 32 opening out of the perforation 11 on opposite sides thereof. The slide 30 rises through the slots 32 and also through a clearance slot 33 in the spring-contact 14C, the latter slot being of the same length as the slide 30 which is held therein against movement, until the spring-contact is depressed sutliciently to clear the forward end thereof from the slide, which may then be slid forward over the spring contact to hold the same down in circuitclosing position. This motion of the slide relative to the casing 10 is permitted by the fact that the distance between the bottom ends of the slots 31 is less than the distance between the bottom ends of the slots 32.V n

Various changes in the details of the constructions disclosed may be made without departing from the principles of this invention.

1 claim:

l. 1n a hand lamp, a casing, a battery havneess 1 ing an exposed terminal andl a bulb housed therein, and means 'for closing the circuit through said battery and bulb, including a depressible contact strip having `an offset portion adjacent its free end to engage said terminal, said strip being connected at the other end to the casing and formed to provide a manually engageable push button forwardly of said connection, and a lockingr member slidably mounted on the casing forwardly of said push button, and means within the casing and connected to said locking member to be moved thereby to lock the contact strip in circuit closing position.

In a hand lamp, a casing, a battery and bulb housed therein, and means for closing the circuit through said battery and bulb, including a depressible contact strip connected at its rear end to the casing and formed with an offset portion adjacent its free end, and also formed to present a manually engageable portion accessible from the exterior of the casing to depress said. strip to circuit closing position, said strip being provided with an opening in said odset portion, and a locking member slidably mounted on the casing and having a part normally received in said opening.

3. 1n a hand lamp, a casing, a battery and bulb housed therein, and means for closing the circuit through said battery and bulb, including a depressible contact strip connected at its rear end to the casing and formed with an offset portion adjacent its free end, and also formed to present a` manually engageable portion accessible from the exterior of the casing to depress said strip to circuit closing position, said strip being provided with an opening in said offset portion, and a locking member slidably mounted on the casing and having a part normally received in said opening, said locking member being slidable forwardly to: engage a solid portion of the strip after the latter has been depressed to lock it in circuit closing position.

4i. In a hand lamp, a casing having an opening, a battery and bulb housed therein, the battery having an exposed terminal adjacent its upper end, means to close the circuit through the battery and bulb, including a depressible contact strip lying adjacent the inner surface of the casing secured at one end thereto and formed with a projecting portion extending into the casing opening for manual engagement, and with an inwardly offset portion adjacent its free end to engage the battery terminal, and means slidably mounted on the casing adapted to engage the offset portion of said strip to lock it in circuit closing position.v

5. 1n a hand lamp, a casing having an opening, a battery and bulb housed therein, the battery having an exposed terminal adjacent its upper end, means to close the circuit through the battery and bulb, including a depressible Contact strip lying adjacent the inner surface of the casing secured at one end thereto and formed with a projecting portion extending into the casing opening for manual engagement, and with an inwardly offset portion adjacent its free end to enga-ge the battery terminal, and means slidably mounted on the casing adapted to engage the offset port-ion of said strip to lock it in circuit closing position, said mea-ns being normally received in an opening in the strip.

6. In a hand lamp, a casing having an opening, a battery having an exposed terminal and a bulb housed therein, and means for closing the circuit through said battery and bulb, including a depressible contact strip having an inclined portion adjacent its Jfree end to engage said terminal, said strip being connected/at the other end to the casing and formed to provide a manually engageable push button forwardly of said connection, said button being disposed in the casing opening and standing normally flush with the surface of the casing, and a locking member slidably mounted within the casing and movable to a position above the contact strip to lock the strip in circuit closing position, said member being normally received in an opening in the strip.

7. In a hand lamp, a easinghaving any opening, a battery having an exposed terminal at its upper end and a bulb housed therein, means for closing the circuit through said battery and bulb, including a depressible contactstrip secured at its rear end to the casing, and having an inwardly inclined portion adjacent its forward end to be depressed into engagement with the exposed terminal, a locking member slidably mounted within the casing and movable only after the contact strip has been depressed to a position between the casing and strip to retain the latter in circuit closing position, Said strip being 'formed with a push button standing in the casing opening normally flush with the surface of the casing.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specication in the presence of two subscrib-y ing witnesses.

ARTHUR L. STAPLES. Witnesses THOMAS C. JOHNSON, A' P PAINE' i' 

